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The document argues that climate services—the production and use of climate knowledge for decision-making—are essential for adaptation but are currently underdeveloped and misaligned with user needs in the developing world. It identifies critical gaps in the use of long-term climate projections, which are often unsuitable for planning horizons of 10-30 years, and calls for a shift toward resilience-based approaches and improved national meteorological service (NMS) capacity. The authors propose ten recommendations focused on co-production between providers and users, filling observational data gaps, and reforming data policies to treat meteorological data as a public good.

The World Resources Institute (WRI) updated the Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas to version 3.0 in August 2019. The update introduces a new hydrological model (PCR-GLOBWB 2.0) that incorporates groundwater resources and provides 144 times higher spatial resolution than the previous GLDAS-2 model. The Water Risk Framework was revised by removing four indicators, updating eight, and adding five new ones. Additionally, the tool transitioned from the Global Drainage Basin Database to HydroBASINS level 6 sub-basins to improve alignment with other water risk tools and provide more homogeneous sub-basin sizes. These changes affect the calculation of key metrics, including overall water risk and baseline water stress, which now account for both surface and groundwater supplies and use daily historical data from January 1960 to December 2014.

The paper argues that while youth are disproportionately vulnerable to climate change, they possess significant potential to drive adaptation efforts if shifted from a narrative of passive victimhood to one of active empowerment. It identifies institutional barriers such as tokenism and lack of platforms, as well as capacity challenges including limited funding and gaps in technical knowledge. The authors advocate for institutionalizing meaningful youth engagement, integrating climate education into national curricula, and creating dedicated financial mechanisms for youth-led adaptation projects.

The World Resources Institute supports the introduction of the SWAP Act and the Raise Wages, Cut Carbon Act, both of which propose an increasing price on carbon and the use of revenue to reduce payroll taxes and fund clean energy R&D.

The World Resources Institute criticizes a Green Climate Fund (GCF) proposal that would require project proponents to separate 'climate' components from 'development' components to determine 'incremental cost' funding. The author contends that this approach oversimplifies the reality of developing countries, where adaptation and development are often inseparable, and risks excluding urgently needed projects from funding. The document further argues that the concept of a 'zero cost baseline' is unrealistic and that the proposal lacks transparency, leaving funding decisions to arbitrary Board negotiations.

The document examines the material risks climate change poses to global supply chains and the current state of private sector adaptation. It argues that while companies recognize climate risks, they often misdiagnose them by focusing on exposure rather than underlying vulnerability. Using the cotton industry as a detailed example, the paper proposes a resilience framework based on six capital assets—natural, human, social, physical, financial, and political—and provides recommendations for companies to commit to science-based resilience strategies and gender-transformative empowerment of women workers.

The document examines how insurance can support climate adaptation by providing financial resilience and risk-identification expertise. It distinguishes between indemnity and parametric products, discusses government interventions to bridge the 'protection gap', and argues that insurance must be integrated into a broader fiscal framework and physical resilience strategy to avoid moral hazard and ensure long-term sustainability.

The document argues that the natural environment is fundamental to economic resilience and that Nature-based Solutions (NbS) offer cost-effective, flexible alternatives or complements to engineered infrastructure for adapting to climate change. It details the dependencies of key economic sectors on ecosystem services and provides evidence that NbS can mitigate risks from coastal hazards, intense precipitation, drought, and heat while providing co-benefits such as carbon sequestration and biodiversity conservation. The authors identify significant barriers to the adoption of NbS, including lack of awareness, limited finance, and technical capacity gaps, and recommend integrating nature into climate vulnerability assessments and procurement policies.

The document criticizes the lack of substantial progress at the UN climate negotiations in Bonn, specifically regarding the rules for carbon markets and attempts by some countries to block discussions on limiting warming to 1.5 Celsius. It calls for world leaders to align national commitments with the 1.5 Celsius goal at the upcoming UN Climate Action Summit and highlights the need for increased financial contributions to the Green Climate Fund. Positive developments noted include the UK passing a net-zero emissions law and investors demanding urgent climate action.

In 2018, MDBs reached a record $43 billion in climate finance commitments, with an increased share allocated to adaptation and vulnerable countries. However, some banks experienced absolute declines in funding, and private sector mobilization remains lower than public co-financing. The analysis urges MDBs to meet 2020 targets, set ambitious post-2020 goals, and align their entire portfolios with the Paris Agreement.

The briefing identifies critical areas for the June 2019 Bonn negotiations, including the design of market-based mechanisms to avoid double-counting, the use of IPCC reports to inform revised nationally determined contributions (NDCs), and the need for effective climate finance. It emphasizes the importance of resourcing the Green Climate Fund and Adaptation Fund, enhancing capacity building through the PCCB and CGE, and defining the future of the Warsaw International Mechanism for loss and damage.

The Paris Agreement Rulebook, agreed upon in December 2018 in Katowice, Poland, provides the practical rules and guidelines for implementing the 2015 Paris Agreement. It establishes frameworks for developing and communicating Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), reporting on climate adaptation and loss and damage, and managing climate finance from developed to developing nations. To ensure accountability, the Rulebook introduces an enhanced transparency framework, a global stocktake process starting in 2023, and an expert compliance committee. As of June 2019, outstanding issues include rules for international market mechanisms to prevent double-counting of emissions reductions and the standardization of time periods for NDCs.

The briefing identifies that agriculture accounts for 70 percent of annual freshwater withdrawals and proposes five interventions: reducing food loss and waste, shifting diets toward less water-intensive foods, investing in nature-based solutions like agroforestry, optimizing crop placement and water management, and adopting efficient technologies such as drip irrigation.

The document outlines a framework for G20 nations to align their near-term climate pledges (NDCs) with mid-century visions (LTSs) to achieve Paris Agreement goals. It emphasizes that such alignment avoids carbon lock-in, supports just transitions, and unlocks economic benefits, including a potential US$26 trillion in global benefits by 2030. The paper provides guidance on NDC implementation, the process for updating pledges by 2020, and the necessity of G20 support for developing countries to overcome capacity and financing gaps.

The report explores how large utility customers, including cities and corporations, can achieve high renewable energy goals through various procurement models. It details options such as green tariffs, sleeved PPAs, and community solar, while addressing the critical role of Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) in accounting and disclosure. The document emphasizes the need for collaboration between utilities, customers, and regulators to ensure that the transition to carbon-free energy is cost-effective, avoids cross-subsidization of non-participants, and maintains grid reliability.

The briefing outlines four strategic priorities for the upcoming UN Climate Action and SDG Summits: ramping up ambition for systemic economic change, ensuring a just transition that protects vulnerable populations, scaling high-impact solutions across six key sectors, and establishing inclusive long-term goals for carbon neutrality and equity.

The World Resources Institute (WRI) supported Bogotá and Mérida in implementing mandatory energy-efficient building regulations by adapting national guidelines to the local level. In Mérida, WRI used the Greenhouse Gas Protocol and multi-stakeholder working groups to identify savings and oversee regulation adoption. In Bogotá, WRI collaborated with the Colombia Green Building Council to improve national guidance and advocate for a city-level energy-efficient building code. By 2018, both cities became the first in their respective countries to adopt such mandatory regulations, aiming to reduce energy and water consumption, lower air pollution, create green jobs, and avoid carbon-intensive infrastructure lock-in.

The document details the transformation of Eskişehir, Turkey, following a 1999 earthquake and the subsequent launch of the Eskişehir Urban Development Project. Led by Mayor Yılmaz Büyükerşen, the city implemented an integrated strategy to modernize transport and restore the environment, specifically by dredging the Porsuk River, establishing a light rail system (EsTram), and creating extensive pedestrian zones and green spaces. These interventions led to significant increases in tourism, property values, and public accessibility, while improving the city's resilience to flooding and pollution.

The document details Burkina Faso's transition from the 2007 National Adaptation Programme of Action (NAPA) to a comprehensive National Adaptation Plan (NAP) adopted in 2015. It outlines a multisectoral approach targeting water, agriculture, health, and energy, emphasizing a vision for climate resilience by 2050. The study highlights the institutional role of the Permanent Secretariat of the National Council for Sustainable Development (SP/CNDD) and identifies critical gaps in financing, inter-ministerial communication, and the need for reliable long-term scientific data.

The report examines the challenges facing sustainable investing due to substandard ESG data, highlighting issues such as lack of standardization, poor coverage, and a specific inability to quantify physical climate risks. Based on interviews with investment practitioners managing $5.2 trillion in assets, it argues that while disclosure frameworks like TCFD and SASB are improving the landscape, investors still lack the granular asset-level data and standardized methodologies required to translate sustainability metrics into financial materiality. The document proposes several solutions, including the development of a Physical Resilience Protocol and the use of geospatial data to fill context gaps in corporate reporting.